CotA Christmas Special: Home for Christmas
by kilnorc
Summary: Separated from the crew, Austin, Sora and Pingu are stranded on a strange Winter Island. They want to get back home to their family before Christmas, but there are dangerous obstacles in their way. Now, they must fight to get back home.
1. Prologue

**Home for Christmas**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**--**

**December 24th  
**

_As I stand outside the galley door, wearing a heavy coat and carrying my gear with both Sora and Pingu standing beside me, I can't help but remember everything that's happened to me over the past few days. I have been through a lot more than I thought I would, trying to where I belonged, and truth be told, I doubted that I would've made it back alive...if I made it back at all. Strange that after all the guys and I have been through, that I would think that...but then again, this was different than our past adventures. Sure, there were similiar elements, but this journey of mine was pretty personal._

_Why?_

_Well, it all started a few days ago..._

_---_

**December 21st**

"DUSTY!"

The kitsune miko of the Axe-Head crew leaned to the side, exposing herself through the doorway, "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees?"

Devon, looking angry, pointed to Austin, who was laying on the floor, a large amount of random stuff on his back, including his special air-board that Azu made for him back in Water 7.

"What the hell is this? Austin told me that you made him carry all this stuff!"

Dusty grinned nervously and waved him off, "Oh, calm down, sourpuss, he's just helping me!"

"With...what...?" Devon asked, eye twitching.

"I'm glad you asked!" Dusty grinned wider and gave him a sly look, "It's almost Christmas time, right?"

The Demon King nodded slowly, trying very hard not to go and strangle his nakama.

"Well, since it's almost Christmas time, we need to decorate the ship and get ready for a major party since we got a lot of friends meeting us for the holidays. I guess you can call me Santa and he's my elf,"

Devon had it. He walked over and grabbed Dusty by the shirt and lifted her off the floor, "Kit...Austin is not an elf. If you have any willing free-labor work in gay-looking clothing that does whatever you ask of him, it's Macleod. Now, I don't mind him helping you or the others for this, but if I see him like that again, I will personally tie you up, hang you from the mast and make you a Christmas pinata...," he pulled her close to his face, "Got it, fox?!"

Dusty nodded rapidly, "G-Got it!"

"Good," Devon released her and Dusty fell onto her rear end.

"Ow, my ass!"

--

_Man, I can't believe I let that baka fox girl get to me like **that**!_ Austin thought bitterly as he settled himself into a lifeboat that Azu was working on earlier that week, sipping some hot chocolate Herman had made for him, _Last time I do anything for her!_

A light thumping made him turn to see Pingu and Sora joining him in the boat. They waved/nodded at him and he returned the greeting with another nod. He had a good relationship with Niri's pet animals, they were unable to speak, like he was, but they were able to communicate in their own special way, like he did.

_They're probably hiding from Dusty as well,_ Austin took another sip of the hot cocoa in his mug,_ Can't say that I blame them. I mean, she's nice and everything, but damn, she's annoying! How the hell has she survived this long without getting shot?_

Pingu looked at him and the look on his face before turning to Sora.

_"What do you think he's thinking about?"_ the blue Sky Fox asked his flightless companion.

The penguin shrugged, _"Beats the hell out of me, I can never understand that kid,"_

Austin downed the rest of his hot cocoa and already began to pour himself a new cup, _Man, what I wouldn't give to just get away from all this for a few days...no annoying fox miko, no one screaming at each other for one stupid reason or another, anything like that..._ he blew the cocoa so he wouldn't burn himself then took yet another sip. He swallowed and looked down at the mug of hot cocoa.

_Damn, Herman makes **great** hot cocoa... _he looked at his backpack and his custom Dial-powered board that rested in the boat with them, _No way am I letting that kit lay a claw on these! She'd probably use it for something stupid...  
_

--

Hours later, after the sun went over the horizon, everyone was having an early Christmas party to prepare themselves for the upcoming holiday and visitors. Herman made a great table of food, Dusty and DJ were performing while the others laughed, danced or pigged out. Austin and the two animals were no where to be seen.

Devon shook his head as he took a drink of grog, "Great, we're having a party and my brother's too pissed at Dusty to have fun,"

Kirsty patted her husband on the back, "Austin's not like that...at least not usually. Just give him some time and he'll come out and have fun on his own,"

"I hope so, I'd hate for him to miss out on the fun," Devon burped lightly and began to drink again, "Good stuff...,"

Kirsty could only giggle at him.

Meanwhile, Niri was looking for Pingu and Sora.

"Nice view, Niri,"

The former Marine, who was on her hands and knees looking under tables, growled and launched a backick. Seconds later, a high-pitched yelp, followed by a loud thud and moaning sounds was heard. She crawled out from under the table, her search unsuccessful, to see Azu laying on the deck of the Ocean Dreamer, holding his groin with both hands.

"Don't do that again, Azu," she muttered before heading off to the galley, wondering if they were eating food in storage.

Chizuru knelt down, "You okay, Azu?" she asked gently, "She kicked you pretty hard...,"

Azu winced, "Dude, she crushed my chestnuts!" he whimpered in a high voice, "_Both_ of them...,"

"So you're okay, then?"

"I think one of them popped...,"

As the party went on, Austin and the two animals were enjoying what solitude they had from the miko of their crew, fast asleep in the lifeboat, snoring quietly. While they slept, a certain drunken martial artist/shipwright wandered nearby, staggering from side to side with each step, his face red from the alcohol.

"Great...," he hiccuped, "Great party...I can't...," he hiccuped again, "I c-can't wait for the real party...!" he took one last swig of his liquor before falling over flat on his back. As he fell, he hit a release switch and almost immediately, the lifeboat made a splash as it hit the water, a splash that wasn't heard due to the party. With their nakama either drunk or unaware of their situation, Austin and the two animals quietly drifted into the black sea of the Grand Line, heading towards an unknown destination.

All alone...

--

**Kilnorc: Awright, a start to this years CotA Holiday fanfic special. May not be much, but I promise it gets much better as it goes on. Hope you guys enjoyed and see ya next chapter!**


	2. Frosty Journey

**Frosty Journey  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**--**

**The next morning...December 22nd**

"YOU SONOFABITCH! WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GO GET DRUNK AND DO THAT?!"

"SAVE ME A PIECE OF HIM, DEVON!"

Devon nodded as he tightened his strangle hold on Azu, the shipwright's face turning bright red, "Got it, Niri...,"

Azu tried to pull away the angry swordsman's hand, "I...didn't...know! I didn't know!" he gasped, "C'mon, leggo already!"

Chizuru cleared her throat and walked over to the fighting Axe-Heads, "Niri, Devon, calm down,"

"HOW THE HELL CAN WE CALM DOWN!?" Devon screamed at her, "MY LITTLE BROTHER IS SOMEWHERE OUT THERE ALONE-,"

"HE'S NOT ALONE, HE'S GOT PINGU AND SORA WITH HIM!" Niri screamed back.

"I DON'T CARE IF ONE OF THE SHICHIBUKAI IS WITH HIM, HE IS OUT THERE ALONE IN THE GRAND LINE AND WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE HE IS!" Devon began to throttel Azu, "THIS DRUNK BASTARD HIT THE RELEASE SWITCH ON THE ONE THING HE WAS NEAR THE LAST TIME ANYONE SAW HIM, SO IT'S HIS FAULT!"

Chizuru rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Kirsty, would you mind?"

"At this point, no," Kirsty walked over to her husband and gave him a kiss, "Sorry for this,"

"Sorry for wha-?" Devon didn't get to finish his sentence because he hit the galley floor like a ton of bricks after Kirsty pinched a pressure point.

Axe hopped off the table, meat rack in his hand, "Awright, now that the yelling and screaming is over, let's look at what we know, okay? One, Austin and the animals are somewhere all alone,"

Everyone else nodded.

"Two, even though he's just a kid, we know that Austin can handle himself in a fight if he has his stuff. Did anyone see his Dials missing?"

Herman raised a hand, "I did, as a matter of fact...I saw him carry his pack around after giving him hot cocoa to drink,"

"Okay, so he's armed, that's good. With his Mantra, he can handle himself. Three, Pingu is incredibly strong for a bird his size and species...he can protect Austin,"

Niri gave a sharp nod, "I just hope someone can watch out for Pingu,"

Chizuru patted her on the back, "Don't worry,"

"And Sora's there to sniff things out...if trouble comes, he'll know and do his best. Besides, if they get hungry, he can just sniff out the edible stuff," Axe ripped off a chunk of meat and swallowed it, "The way I see it, we really shouldn't worry about them...they'll be fine until we can find them,"

Dusty raised a hand, "Uh...Captain?"

"Yeah?"

"How are we gonna find them?"

"...uh...,"

"You have no idea, do you?"

"Not a single one, no,"

"Baka,"

"Oi!"

--

When Austin woke up that morning, the first thing he felt was cold.

Really, really cold.

Snapping to a sitting position, he shut his eyes as he rubbed his arms to keep warm, _Dammit, no one came and dropped a blanket on me?! Crap...guess they partied too much, they actually forgot me!_ he opened his eyes and after seeing where he was, they went wider.

_Aw crap..._

He, Sora and Pingu were still in the lifeboat that Azu had been working on, but they were sitting on a long stretch of shore, which was completely covered in snow, which explained the surprisingly cold weather that he was feeling. Loud yawnings made him look down to see both Sora and Pingu wake up and climbing to their feet, stretching. When they saw where they were, and that they were equally surprised as he was.

_"WHAT THE HELL ARE WE?!"_ Sora reared onto his hind legs and put his front legs on Pingu's shoulders, _"WE'RE LOST AT SEA!"_

Pingu slapped the fox away, _"No, we're not, we're just...not sure of where we are,"_ he looked out at the ocean, _"By the looks of it, it's a Winter Island, a place that suits me just fine, so listen to what I gotta say and we'll survive long enough for the others to find us,"_ he scratched his head, _"How the hell we got from the ship to this place, beats the hell outta me, but until we get back,"_ he pointed a flipper at Austin, _"We gotta watch out for the boy,"_

Sora looked at Austin, shivering, _"Y-Yeah...guess so,"_

_"Cold, Blue?"_

_"I may have fur, but I'm not made for this sort of weather!"_

_"Wuss,"_

Austin shook his head at the animals, unsure of what they were talking about, he was too busy looking at the surrounding area.

_I can't stay here...I need to find a place to get out from the cold! I have no winter clothes on me, all I have is my backpack, Dials and my board, and the last time I checked, those won't keep me fed and warm until the others find me...if they find me! _again, he shook his head, _What the hell am I talking about, **if** they find me? I **know** they'll find me, they have to find me! Until then, I gotta keep myself and these two alive..._ he looked back at the animals and gave a sharp whistle, making them turn to him.

The mute child gathered up his supplies, hopped off the lifeboat and headed towards the inner area of the island, Pingu and Sora close behind him.

--

Hours (or so it seemed) later, the lost cabin boy and the two pets of the Axe-Head crew were trudging through the snow, trying to find shelter, but things were not going very well for them. Despite the lack of warm clothing needed to survive on this kind of island, Austin started to feel hungry and tired. Mix those with a surprise snowstorm that almost made things impossible to see, even three feet in front of them, and what one has is a recipe for a frozen death. Austin rubbed his arms for the hundredth time, but due to the cold and the storm, he couldn't even feel them anymore. Still, he rubbed and rubbed, hoping that they would be okay.

Sora wasn't doing so well either, the poor Sky Fox was coated with snow from head to tail and he was lagging behind, barely able to see the penguin or the human in front of him. After a few moments of trudging, he finally fell over onto his side in the snow, unable to go on anymore. Pingu looked back and saw the condition his nakama was in, so he rushed back and picked the Sky Fox out of the snow and tried to carry the nearly frozen fox on his back.

_"Stay with me, Blue, stay with me...,"_ Pingu honked over the wind, hoping to keep Sora conscious by talking to him, _"You're gonna be okay, I promise! We're gonna find shelter, we're gonna find heat, gonna find food, and we're gonna go back to our family, you hear me, Blue? Niri's gonna find us!"_

Unfortunately, things were looking worse by the second. Weighted down by his supplies, slowed down by both the snow and the freezing winds, Austin couldn't go on any longer. Exhausted, hungry and freezing, Austin took one last step before falling facefirst into the snow. Pingu saw this as well and rushed over to him as fast as he could with Sora on his back.

_"Aw shit, not you too, kid!" _he hopped onto his head and started bouncing up and down, hoping to wake him, _"Get up, get up, get up! C'mon, kid, don't do this to me!"_

The Pimp of Penguins tried everything he could to wake up the boy, but he wasn't making any progress. To make things even worse than they were, Sora wasn't awake either, and both he and the boy were going to die soon unless a miracle happened.

Pingu didn't know what to do for his friends. He could pick them both up and carry because of his unusual strength and he could easily pick up very large and heavy things, but even if he did, he wouldn't be able to take them anywhere warm because he was new to this island and he didn't know the layout. Desperate, alone and scared to death, the penguin pirate closed his eyes and held onto his two nakama, tears forming into his eyes.

_Please...someone help us!_

That's when he heard the bells.

His eyes shot open at the sound of bells jingling behind him. Spinning around, he saw something approach them quickly. Wiping the tears away, Pingu saw a large sled driven by what looked like reindeer speeding towards them. The sled stopped just a few feet away and from the driver's seat, a large form hopped out. Pingu watched as the large form approached the needful trio, and as it got closer, he was able to see more of it.

It was a man, a tall and rather fat man, wearing a thick, red, hooded coat, boots and a pair of thick, warm looking gloves. Under the hood was the face of an older man, complete with somewhat wrinkled skin and a thick, white beard. Pingu couldn't believe what he was seeing! He had asked for help and here comes a stranger that looked an awful lot like...

"Well, what do we have here?" the old man asked the penguin, kneeling down to the unconscious ones of the group, "Oh my, this is serious, _very_ serious! They need warmth right away!" he looked at Pingu, "My little friend, help me with them, they don't have much time!"

--

When Austin came to, he found himself out of the freezing cold weather of the Winter Island and in a very warm and comfortable bed. Wondering what had happened and where he was, the boy sat up and looked around. He was in a rundown room, but a rundown room with a roaring fire going in a nearby fireplace. The room also had blankets and coats all around, and even the bed he was laying in was covered in very thick blankets. The walls were cracked and obviously hadn't seen any renovations in quite some time, but that didn't seem to affect the temperature of the room. Another thing he noticed was that he couldn't find Pingu or Sora anywhere. Curious, but cautious, Austin slid out of bed and made his way to the door, wanting to see where he was exactly.

Pulling on the handle of the wooden door, Austin slowly opened the gateway between the room and the rest of the world. As he opened, he felt a rush of slightly colder, but still warm air, and he also heard many voices and sounds coming from the other side. Slowly, the young pirate walked out and saw that he was in a large building, but he wasn't the only one inside. While he was standing on the second floor of the building, he looked down to see a whole bunch of kids, maybe twenty or even thirty of them either running around, playing, eating or something.

_Where the hell am I?_ the boy wondered as he looked at the children, _I know I was about to die out there, but I end up here...how the hell did that happen?_

"Glad to see you're awake, young one," an older, yet kind voice said quietly from the side.

Startled, Austin spun and backed away from the railing. Standing a short distance away was an elderly man with a very round belly and a long white beard. He was dressed in a thick red sweater and comfortable looking pants, slippers covering and protecting his feet from the cold floor.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you, boy," the old man said assuringly, seeing the alarmed look on Austin's face, "Far from it. I'm glad to see that you've pulled through, I was worried that I wasn't able to save you or your little friends in time,"

_Friends?_ Austin's eyes widened, _Pingu and Sora!_

"By the look on your face, you know what I'm talking about," the old man nodded, "Don't worry, the fox is doing just fine, as is your penguin friend. If I'm not mistaken, they're down playing with the other children right now. I think that penguin of yours was very worried for you, he didn't want to leave yours or the foxes side at all until at least one of you got up. When the fox woke up first, he was so happy, he kept bouncing around and around, honking like crazy," he smiled, "Though he doesn't speak, I think he understands humans just fine. I managed to convince him and the fox to go and get something to eat while waiting, but the children...they haven't seen many other animals around, so they were very excited and...," the old man trailed off, "Well, you can see what happened,"

Austin just stared at him.

"You're probably wondering where you are and who I am, aren't you?"

Austin nodded.

The old man smiled, "I had a feeling that was on your mind. Well, my young friend, where you are is a place of safety for children who have no place to go,"

_An orphnage, by the sound of it..._

"As for me, my name is Nicholas," the old man tilted his head, "Are you hungry?"

--

**Kilnorc: Awright, before _anyone_ goes off saying "OMG ITS SANTA CLAUS ITS SANTA CLAUS HE HAS SANTA CLAUS IN THE STORY!!!"...just let me explain the guy in the next few chapters, okay? Thank you, hehe.**


	3. Trouble Part One

**Trouble Part One  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**

* * *

  
**

"Hey, he's awake!"

"He's alive!"

"He looks pretty young...,"

"You should talk!"

"Shut up!"

"Can't believe he lived...,"

"I can't believe he's eating so much...,"

Austin paid no attention to the murmurings of the children around him as he kept trying to fill his belly with every piece of food he could cram into his mouth. He felt like he had not eaten in days, so he he had to get as much in as possible. The kids, and even Nicholas, stared in amazement as the plates began to pile up around him, their food supply going down by the second. All of them had the same question on their minds.

_Who or what was this kid?_

Finally, after a good while of eating, Austin let out a loud belch, leaned back in the chair and patted his now very full belly, a content smile on his face.

Nicholas blinked, "Uh...a-are you still hungry, little one?"

Austin just waved him off.

The fat, bearded man chuckled a little, "You certainly have an appetite...,"

_I think I get it from all the guys who eat so much back home..._ Austin looked around the building, _Where are-?_

"You're probably wondering where your friends are," Nicholas interrupted his thoughts, "Perfectly alright, I assure you. I believe I saw them around here earlier while we were getting you some food,"

Austin felt a poking in his arm and he turned to see a young boy, a few years younger than he was, looking at him with curious eyes.

"What's your name?" he asked quietly.

The mute cabin boy looked at everyone, then made a motion imitating he was writing something down.

"Aw, he's a mute!" an older boy moaned from the back, "Crap, someone get something to write on and write with!"

Nicholas gave the older one a light glare, before turning to Austin, "Is it true, son, are you mute?" he asked softly.

Austin nodded.

"Told you!"

Nicholas glared again as one of the younger children came up with a few pieces of paper and a pen.

"Now, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, son?"

* * *

A short trip away from the Winter Island, a pirate ship, one that wasn't the Axe-Heads' _Ocean Dreamer_, but another, smaller ship with a Jolly Roger fluttering in the wind. The pirate flag had the symbol of what looked like an almost perfectly round skull with the eye sockets connected by a white line above the brow line. The eyes sort of resembled the letter B and the flag even had that very letter sitting on top of the skull and crossbones.

The ship was filled with numerous pirates, but three of them stood out more than the others. One of them was a thin, lanky man with brown hair, a pair of small, beady eyes and a goofy look plastered on his face. The second one was taller and thinner than the first one, and if one thought the first man didn't look too bright, they would seriously consider him to be a genius compared to this man. The second one had a very, very dumb look on his face, as he seemed to be off in his own little world, his eyes unfocused. Finally, despite the possible prediction given by the appearance and easily recognizable level of intelligence of the first two men mentioned, the third one would've surprised anyone.

The third man, although in the average level of intelligence (which was a major difference with his two comrades), was a lot shorter. From a distance and behind, people would think he was a child, and that was something he didn't really care for...not one bit.

The lanky man turned to his boss, "So, where are we heading anyway, Cap'n?"

Captain Billy Bob of the B Pirates (yes, that's their name, you got a problem with it?!), grinned and turned to his crew, a smug look on his face, "Billy, Billy, Billy...have you forgotten so soon? Look at your friend over there, he hasn't forgotten," he pointed to the zoned out pirate.

"That's because he probably never heard the plan, Cap'n, you know he goes out like that sometimes," Billy shook his tall friend, "Bob! Bobby boy, wakey wakey!"

"Huh?" the second pirate snapped out of his trance and looked around, scratching his head, "What happened? Is it time to eat yet?"

Billy Bob rolled his eyes, but continued, "As I was saying, we are headed towards an island where a rich, fat bastard lives all alone with his kids,"

"Cap'n?"

"Yes, Billy?"

"How rich is he?"

"I don't know, but he must be really rich!"

"Why?"

"Because I heard he's a lardass,"

Billy and Bob shared confused looks.

Billy Bob rubbed his eyes, "You can judge a man's wealth by how fat or thin he is. If he's fat, he's rich enough to buy a lot of food, and if he's skinny like Bob over there," he jabbed a short finger to the dumb-looking one, "Then he's poorer than dirt. Get it?"

Both pirates nodded slowly.

"Trust me, boys, he's loaded! I've been hearing stories about a fat guy in the region living all alone with kids on a Winter Island and with this map and Pose," he held up the navigational materials, "We'll be there in no time!"

* * *

When Pingu and Sora saw that Austin was up and around, both animals launched themselves at the mute pirate lad, knocking him flat on his back. Nicholas and the kids watched Austin try and pry the two animals off him. Now, Austin loved his nakama, that was a truth, but he didn't need them to suffocate him, especially Pingu with his abnormal birdy strength.

"They're devoted to you," Nicholas smiled warmly, "They're good nakama, huh?"

Austin nodded.

"Apparently, they're not the only nakama he's got," an older boy, about fifteen or fourteen said loudly as he made his way through the crowd, holding a bunch of papers in his hands, "Looks our new buddy here," he glanced at Austin, "Has a little reputation," he walked over to Nicholas and handed the papers to him, "Here, you need to see this,"

Nicholas took the papers and pulled out a pair of glasses, "What's this, Scotty?"

"Just look at them, Nick,"

Austin rose to his feet, a bad feeling growing in his gut. When he saw one of the papers had a picture on it, he knew what they were.

Bounty posters.

_Aw crap..._ the boy gulped, _This could be bad for us..._

"Blood Fist Austin, with a bounty of 18,000,000 Beli...Pingu the Pimp of Penguins with a bounty of 1,500 Beli and Blue Fox Sora with a bounty of 1,550 Beli...," Nicholas looked up at the boy, "A boy with a bounty that high, and two animals with bounties. How interesting," he looked at the posters again, "But what's even more interesting is the crew he belongs to. The Axe-Head Pirates, led by Samuel D. Axe? Samuel...Samuel...," Nicholas lowered the posters, "I thought they were wiped out years back,"

"Nick, you know something about them?" Scotty asked the older man.

Nicholas removed his glasses and scratched his beard in thought, "It was years and years ago, before any of you were ever born. The Samuels were a crew of pirates that traveled the world with the likes of Whitebeard and Gold Roger themselves, and they were supposedly destroyed by the World Government...but it seems that some have survived and are making a comeback,"

Scotty snatched the papers away from the older man and advanced on Austin, "I don't care if he's a little kid or not, he's a frickin' pirate and pirates aren't welcome here!"

"Scotty!"

"No, Nick, don't even try and protect this brat!"

"He's lost, separated from his crew-,"

"And he's with us, and we outnumber him, so I say we turn him over to the Marines and collect his bounty!" Scotty grabbed Austin and hauled him clean off the ground, "18,000,000 Beli can buy us a lot of food and new clothes, so why don't we just-OOF!"

Pingu had just headbutted him in the stomach, making him not only drop Austin, but double over, holding his gut.

_"You mess with him, you mess with me!"_ Pingu honked, his flipper tapping on the floor.

Scotty glared daggers at the bird, "Oh...when I'm done with you, you're gonna be-AAAAAAAAAH!"

This time, Sora got to him. The Sky Fox had his small, but sharp jaws latched onto the seat of Scotty's pants, giving him a good reason to scream.

Pingu and Austin winced, _Ouch..._

When he let go, Sora shot over to his friends, a look of disgust on his face.

_"You okay, fox?"_

_"That kid needs to change his underwear...,"_ Sora sat down and tried to scrape his tongue clean, _"That was nasty!"_

* * *

**Kilnorc: Okay, lessee what we have here. Bad guys, check! Trouble, check! Some bits of comedy, check! Interested in what happens next? Wait for the next chapter, folks! Before I go, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my dear, dear friend Dragon's-Maidens who not only helped me with the enemy pirates, but she is the owner of Niri Zolaro for those who didn't know. Thanks DM, owe ya big time!  
**


	4. Trouble Part Two

**Trouble Part Two**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

"I'm very sorry about Scotty," Nicholas apologized as he checked the shiner on Austin's eye, "His parents were killed by raiding pirates and left him an orphan. He was on a ship when it happened and when the pirates were threw, they decided to sink the ship and he wound up here. He's been here for...quite awhlle now,"

_I can relate about being an orphan and hating people for bad things, but he really shouldn't wail on a kid for it..._ Austin winced as Nick touched his shiner.

"It's okay, don't worry. Scotty's a good kid, really, he just has issues, I hope you don't hold that against him?"

Austin shook his head.

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Nicholas rose from his seat after looking the boy over and patted him on the head, "So, how does a boy and two animals get lost from their crew and wind-up here?"

_Just gimme a pad and I'll tell you what I can, ossan..._

* * *

"I'm telling you guys, he can't stay here with us!"

"But Scotty, he's nice and he's lost from his group,"

The older kid ran a hand through his light red hair, shaking his head, "No way, no way in Hell are pirates nice and ever get lost!"

"How do you figure that?"

"They live on the seas and they plunder people for their own, personal greed! They spill blood in the name of their sick philosophy, they _can't_ be good!"

"Scotty-,"

"I lost everything, guys, I lost _everything_! I have no mother, no father, no sisters or brothers, nothing! All I have is this place and you guys to look after. I am the oldest one here aside from Nicholas, and as the oldest one, I have a job to keep you guys are safe but to do that, I gotta make sure no pirates are anywhere near here, so that mute sonofabitch has to go!"

"SCOTTY!"

The red-head nearly jumped out of his skin, as did the other kids, when they heard the familiar voice of the old man on a level they rarely heard. Scotty slowly turned his head to see Nicholas standing in the doorway, a very angry look on his face while Austin appeared behind him.

"What the hell is that brat still doing here?" Scotty pointed a finger at the mute, "He's a pirate, Nicholas, he's gotta go!"

"He is staying!"

"If he is, then I'm leaving!"

"No, you're not leaving, Scotty!"

"Why not, fatman?!"

"Because you'd die out there in three hours tops!" Nicholas barked, his face getting redder by the second, "Go to your room, Scotty and don't you dare come down unless you want to apologize to the boy!"

"But-!"

"NOW!"

Scotty glared hard at the old, fat man, but bit his tongue and stomped past, brushing against Austin hard.

_What a jerk..._ Austin winced a little and rubbed his shoulder, _Not like I can help being a pirate...as long as Devon is one, then I'm one! If he doesn't like it, he wants to try and start something, fine! I can take him on easy!_

"Nicholas, what are we going to do about him?" one of the younger children, a girl, asked quietly.

"Aw, let him cool down and-,"

"Not Scotty," she pointed at Austin, "Him...the pirate," she said the last two words with fear in her voice, Austin could easily detect that.

Nicholas sighed and beckoned the children to him, "Alright, little ones, alright...here's what's going to happen. Since he lost, we are going to keep him around until his nakama can come to pick him up,"

The children looked fearful at that idea.

"I assure you all that the crew he belongs with are peaceful by nature, so there's nothing to fear. They won't do us any harm, and they won't do anything to our treasure. Eventually, they will come here, we'll find them and we'll help reunite nakama, alright?"

Austin glanced up at him, _Treasure? Is **that** why they're scared of pirates?_

"While he is staying here, I am trusting you all to behave and be nice to him. I'm aware most of your histories with pirates, but I promise_ nothing _bad will happen to you,"

* * *

"Captain Billy Bob! We got an island, dead ahead!"

The pint-sized pirate rubbed his gloved hands together greedily, "Good, good...," he looked around and scowled when he saw that the railing of his ship was bare, "WHERE THE HELL IS MY BOX?!"

"Sorry sir!" Billy rushed over carrying a large crate, "I didn't mean to move your box, sir, I needed a seat for the poker game last night and-,"

"Enough of your lame excuses!" the pirate runt cut him off as he hopped onto his precious crate, which allowed him to see the island (or as much as he would be able to see since it was now nighttime by the time they reached it), "There it is, boys! Somewhere on that island is a rich, fat guy and his spoiled brats," he rubbed his hands together, an evil grin on his face, "We all know what comes in a few days, right, boys?"

"Uh...," Bob scratched his head, "Um...,"

Billy Bob rolled his eyes, "Idiots...it's Christmas, you fatheads, _Christmas_! The time of the year when everyone gets free stuff, right?!"

His two subordinates nodded, "Uh huh,"

"Well, with the wealth this guy's got, this is gonna be our best Christmas yet!" he climbed onto the railing and struck a pose, "We move out tomorrow, and by the first light of Christmas Day, we're gonna be filthy, stinking rich!"

"AWRIGHT, BOSS!" Billy and Bob roared and both gave their boss a good slap on his back.

Billy Bob let out a scream as he was forced off his own ship and fell into the icy-cold water below.

Billy and Bob leaned over the railing and looked down at their freezing captain.

"Boss, this isn't the best time to go swimming!"

"Yeah, it's really cold out here, you'll get pneumonia!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Alright, I think this is good enough for now, I hope you all enjoyed it. Until the next chapter, folks!**


	5. Trouble Part Three

**Trouble Part Three**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

_Yeah, I kinda had it rough the first time I met these kids...especially with Scotty. I can understand his pain of his family being taken away from him, but he thinks all pirates are bad, which we're not! He was stubborn, but soon enough, he'd come around..._

_He'd have to if he wanted to survive to see Christmas this year._

* * *

**December 23rd**

"NICK! NICK!!"

"Oh, what now?" Nicholas sighed as he quickly exited one of the back rooms, locking it behind him, _I don't have time for fights, guys, I need to get this ready for Christmas!_

As soon as he pulled the key from the door's keyhole, Scotty, plus a handful of children, came running up to him, looks of panic, fear, and other emotions plastered on their faces.

Something was wrong.

"What is it, what's wrong?"

Everyone started talking at once, but Scotty quickly silenced them with a wave of his arm.

"Nicholas, about that pirate brat-,"

"Scotty, not this again...,"

"But Nicholas-!"

"He's harmless, and it's almost Christmas, so please put your feelings aside, Scotty. I mean, if pirates and marines can stop fighting and sing together on one of the most special nights of the year, I'm sure you can do the same for him," **(1)**

"Nicholas, you don't understand!"

"What don't I understand?"

Scotty opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shook his head and grabbed Nicholas' arm, tugging hard on it, "You need to see this!"

The children dragged Nicholas upstairs into one of the rooms where the children slept, over to an unusually large telescope that was positioned at the largest window. It was a telescope that Nicholas had found somewhere along the Grand Line, and it was capable of seeing for miles and miles, something that proved really useful nowadays when on the lookout for things...or when nosey people minded other people's business from a distance.

"What is this about, Scotty?" Nicholas asked after a short while, "My patience is wearing thing and if you think-,"

"Look into the telescope, Nicholas!" Scotty pleaded, cutting him off, "Please, you need to see this for yourself or else you won't believe us,"

Nicholas looked hard at Scotty. This was a boy who was a little bit of a troublemaker from time to time, and one who had told a little white lie now and then, but there this look on the boy's face that told him that there was definitely something wrong...or at least something that rattled him. The fat man walked over to the telescope and positioned his eye over the lens. It took him a short time to get it focused for his old eyes, but when he did, he saw what it was that shook the children so much.

A pirate flag.

A pirate flag on a boat.

A pirate flag on a boat docked on the beach and a large group of pirates heading inland, in their direction.

"Oh dear," Nicholas looked back at the children, "Looks like we have company, children...anyone know who they are?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"I don't know who they are, but I know how they got here!" Scotty raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Almost immediately a couple of bigger children came through the crowd, dragging a thrashing Austin, Pingu and Sora to the front, "The pirate brat and his filthy pirate pets must've attracted those other bastards here, so now we got trouble and it's all their fault!"

Pingu honked angrily while Austin shot him a deathglare.

"I say we toss him out in the snow and lock the animals away," Scotty crossed his arms, "Then we can deal with those other pirates,"

"No!" Nicholas stomped forward and looked down at the children, the look in his eyes making them release Austin and the animals almost instantly, "It is not their fault, Scotty,"

"Oh yeah, then whose fault is it?!" Scotty demanded, "Nicholas, there's a boat full of pirates, who are coming this way! We haven't had any problems for months and then they show up suddenly and we got a problem! It's their fault!"

"For the last time, no it is not!" Nicholas roared, making everyone shrink back in both surprise and fear, "Now I know that you're scared, Scotty, I know that you all are scared...but believe me when I tell you that Austin and the animals are not at fault here! I don't know why they've come here, but I swear to you that no harm will come to any one of you,"

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, Nicholas?"

The old man cleared his throat and tugged at his beard a little, "I'm going to ride down there and meet them. I'll be able to see if they're peaceful or not,"

"And if they're _not_?"

"If they're not...," Nicholas trailed off, "You won't have to worry about them,"

With that, the fat man walked past the group of children and out of the room.

"Scotty, what do we do now?" one of the younger children asked quietly.

The older boy frowned, "We see what Nicholas does...,"

"What about them?" the other kid asked, nodding to a sore-looking Austin, Sora and Pingu.

Scotty glanced at them, then looked away, "Leave them alone...for now. C'mon, we got things to do,"

Everyone nodded and left the room, leaving Austin and the animals alone in the room with the telescope.

_"Isn't this time of year supposed to make people good to each other?"_ Sora asked, turning to Pingu.

Pingu shrugged a little, _"Doesn't work for everyone...now there's just one thing I'm wondering,"_

_"What's that, Pingy?" _Sora asked, earning a glare from the penguin.

Pingy...er...Pingu, looked up at Austin, _"I'm wondering what he's gonna do,"_

_"Why are you wondering that?"_

_"Because he has that look in his eyes,"_

_"You mean...?"_

_"Oh yeah,"_ Pingu nodded, _"**That **look,"_

* * *

"Cap'n, why are we making a base camp here, why don't we just camp on the ship?" Billy asked the short leader, holding his arms, "It's frickin' freezing out here!" **(2)**

"Yeah, Boss, Billy's right, we'd be much warmer inside the ship," Bob hissed through chattering teeth, "What's the deal?"

Billy Bob, who was wearing a very warm coat, laughed at his subordinates, "I just thought you'd enjoy being off the ship boys...I know I do,"

"If you like being off the ship, does that mean you enjoyed going for that swim?" Bob asked him, "I still don't know why you wanted to do that,"

"Maybe he needed to wake up?" Billy thought aloud, shrugging.

Billy Bob turned on them, a very pissed off look on his face, "I DIDN'T GO SWIMMING YOU LUNKHEADS, YOU PUSHED ME INTO THE OCEAN! I'M LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T DIE OF PNEUMONIA OR HYPOTHERMIA!!"

"Captain Billy Bob, there's something coming this way!" one of the other pirates shouted from the ship, "Something big and it's coming in fast!"

Billy Bob quickly went from angry to happy and turned around, his gloved hands behind his back, "Was wondering when we'd get a welcome wagon,"

Billy Bob and his pirates waited a short while before a large sled pulled by reindeer not only came into view, but came to a stop a short distance from them. Billy Bob remained silent as Nicholas, dressed in his red winter coat climbed out, but when Billy and Bob saw him, they began to stammer like idiots...well, bigger idiots. Billy Bob glared at them, "Shut it, you fools, what's the matter with you?!"

Bob pointed to Nicholas, "I-I-It's...S-S-S-Sa...,"

"Santa Claus!" Billy finished for his nakama, "I don't believe it, we come here to get treasure from rich people and we run into Santa himself!" he waved furiously at the fat man, "Santa, I wanna tell you what I want for Christmas!"

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP?!" Billy Bob screamed at them, "That's not Santa Claus, that's just a fat guy in a red suit!"

Both Billy and Bob gawked at him.

"WHAT!"

"Boss, don't say that about Santa!"

"Yeah! Santa, he didn't mean it, he's just cranky because he fell into really cold water recently,"

"YOU IDIOTS PUSHED ME IN!" Billy Bob took a deep breath and turned to Nicholas, trying to remain calm, "Listen fatman-,"

"Santa,"

BB's eyes twitched, "You got yourself quite a stomach there. How much you have on ya?"

Nicholas looked at the pirate crew, "I don't know why you're here, but I have nothing you'd want. I'm giving you a chance to go away without getting hurt, but only one chance...think very carefully here,"

The small captain let out a smaller laugh, "Don't you know who we are?"

"I don't care," Nicholas shook his head, "Just leave or face the consequences,"

-Meanwhile-

"Scotty, what's going on?"

"I don't know, I can't see right, there's snow blowing around in the air!" Scotty looked up from the telescope, "Nick's there I know, but I can't really see...,"

"Move!" a girl a few years younger than him pushed him out of the way, "I've got better eyesight than you, so I'll look," she looked through the lens, "Oh crap!"

"What is it, what's wrong!?" Scotty pushed her out of the way and looked through the lens, "What's happening, Emily?"

The girl, Emily, held at her head, "I-I saw Nicholas and the pirates talking one minute...and then th-they all just jumped him! They all just attacked him at once!"

Scotty snapped his head to her, knocking the telescope off-sight, "WHAT?!"

"I don't know if he's okay, the snow got worse, but it didn't look good," Emily was close to tears, "What if they killed him? What if, what if they come here?"

"They'll kill us all!"

"I don't wanna die!"

"We gotta run!"

"But Nicholas-!"

"Nicholas can't help us, we gotta run somewhere safe!"

"Where hotshot, we'd freeze to death out there in that weather!"

Scotty watched everyone ask questions and freak out. He knew that they would look to him for help and leadership in this time, and they all knew he hated pirates and that he'd love to hurt them for what pirates did to him and his family, but in truth, he was terrified of them. Yes, he would love to get rid of some pirates, but if he ever met one of them up close, he'd most likely freeze up, becoming easy prey for them.

As the children panicked, Austin climbed onto the tallest thing he could see and let out a long, high whistle. The other children stopped freaking out and covered their ears to protect them from the noise, all of them looking at Austin as they did it.

"What the hell, kid?!" Scotty barked at him, "Why'd you do that?"

"To keep you all from running around like chickens with their heads cut off!"

Everyone went dead silent, their eyes getting wide.

Someone's gotta step up, and if it has to be me, I'll have to throw that away for now... Austin looked around, "First off, all of you calm down and shut the hell up!"

"You...can talk...?"

"Yes, I can talk!" Austin snapped, "I can talk just fine,"

"You liar! You made us think you were mute to make us feel sorry for you!"

"Pirates lie about everything!"

Austin shook his head, "No we don't, although some of them go through their whole lives lying about the smallest things. I never meant to fool any of you, it's just for most of my life, I have been mute, but I've gotten my voice back. I just got so use to not talking, I usually go with the mute appearance,"

"You asshole!"

"Yeah, asshole!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Austin yelled at the top of his lungs, "JUST SHUT UP!"

Everyone went quiet again.

"I heard what happened to Nicholas and what could happen," Austin said slowly, "I know that you're all scared and you should be. Most pirates are ruthless and won't hesitate to kill anyone that gets in their way. I don't blame any of you if you feel like you should run and hide, I really don't. There were times in my life when I felt like that, but this is not one of those times. This is a time that I'm gonna stand and fight it out,"

Scotty looked at him, scowling, "Fight it out? You?"

Austin nodded, "I'm stronger than I look and I can handle myself in a fight. I didn't earn my 18,000,000 Beli bounty for nothing," he grinned, "I can handle it,"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you gonna fight? This isn't your home, we're not your nakama, and after the way we-,"

"We?"

"Yeah, Scotty, we?"

"Awright, awright...after the way I treated you, you're still willing to fight? For us?"

Austin nodded.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I know what it's like to be alone. I know what it's like to be alone and have someone important to you to count on and look after you," Austin's thoughts drifted to his brother, "I know what it's like to lose a family, but I also know when it's time to stop running and take a stand!"

"Is that all you pirates do?" Scotty asked him, "Fight?"

"When we need to, other times we have to run. Yes, even pirates run away from things," Austin looked at the crowd of children, "But I heard what you guys said and I know what it's like outside, so we cannot run from this, from those pirates. We have to stay here and fight them off,"

"We can't!"

"Yeah, they'll kill us all!"

"No, they won't," Austin shook his head, "Not while we're around!"

"We?"

Austin nodded as Pingu and Sora hopped up next to him, "We'll help you guys, but you gotta help us, because we can't do everything ourselves. We need to get some things done, but we're gonna need your help. How long will it take for them to get here, Scotty?"

The older boy glared at him for a bit as he thought, "It's hard to say. If they have survival gear, they'd be able to make it in a coupla days, but if they managed to hurt Nicholas and steal his sled...once they figure out how to control the reindeer and loaded up, they could be here by tomorrow or tomorrow night at the latest,"

Tomorrow night, huh? Austin nodded slowly, A Christmas Eve battle...sounds kinda poetic, I think. Okay, maybe not, but I'd chuck that poetic battle crap to the Shandian blood in my veins...

"So what's your plan, Blood Fist?"

"First off, call me Austin. Secondly, does anyone have a map of this building?"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Okay, I know the biggest thing you're all thinking is "When the hell can Austin talk?" well...I can't say for sure, but let's just say that it's an Xmas miracle or something...hehehe. Hope ya'll liked. Thanks to Dragon's-Maidens for helping me out in this chapter!  
**

**(1) A One Piece version/reference of World War I where German and British soldiers ceased fighting and began to sing Christmas Carols together on Christmas Eve.  
**

**(2) This is my catch phrase during this time of year.  
**


	6. Setting Up, Suiting Up

**Setting Up, Suiting Up**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece**

* * *

Austin, surrounded by the other kids and his two animal nakama, stood in front of one of the many tables of the building, a large, crude map laid out in front of him. He had seen many maps of islands and some buildings plenty of times before coming here, so he had a fair idea of how to interpret the layout of the building. Those pirates would be coming, they'd be coming soon with the intent of who-knows-what to the children, and he wasn't about to let that happen, especially on Christmas Eve. The young half-Shandian looked at the map, grateful that he learned skills such as map-reading and some strategy from both Chizuru and Niri.

"What the hell are you looking for, kid?" Scotty asked him, looking over the boy's shoulder, "Why'd you ask for this, I don't understand?"

"Because, we're not going to run, we're going to fight,"

"Yeah, I got that idea when you first said that, but how is this gonna help us fight them?"

"When they come, they will be on your turf and that gives you home field advantage. You all know the building and surrounding area better than those guys and myself, so what we're gonna do is lay some traps to greet them,"

"Booty traps?"

"_Booby_ traps,"

"That's what I said!" **(1)**

"Yes, we're going to lay out some booby traps. Pingu, Sora and myself will be on the front lines and I know you all are wanting to put the hurt on those pirates, but I don't see any of you putting up a decent fight to save your lives, so you need to hide while this goes down," Austin scanned the map, "Is there a room you can lock, or a basement of some kind? Hell, an attic, even? I can't tell here,"

Scotty looked at the map, tapped a part on the paper and pointed to the floor a short distance away, a large, worn out rug covering a piece of the floor, "Basement's there,"

"Good. How big is it?"

"Big enough for everyone else to hide in there,"

"That's great. Defendable?"

"I think they can barricade themselves in until it's safe," Scotty scratched his chin, "You and I should be able to hold them off,"

Austin glanced at him, "Say what?"

"You heard me," Scotty flashed a grin, "We're in this together, Blood Fist. You know I _hate_ pirates, and I may not like the idea of working alongside one, and I may be close to pissing my pants with the idea of going up against a group of them, but with Nicholas out of the game, I'm responsible for all of these kids," he jerked a thumb to the children, "I have to protect them, and if I have to risk my life to do it, then so be it,"

The cabin boy looked at Scotty for a long time, then smiled a little, "Right...well, in that case, welcome aboard, Scott,"

"Gee, being welcomed into a defense plan by a pirate brat. This is gonna be the best Christmas _ever_!"

"Shut up and let's start working, eh? Now, any idea where we should start...?"

* * *

The day carried on as the entire kid population of the island went all around with supplies for the traps that were plotted and planned out on the maps. The kids were good workers, Austin had to admit, and they were all careful about not setting any of them off. They might just get through this yet, he thought as he looked at all the kids, To think they were all scared out of their minds, but now they're going at it non-stop to give a nice welcoming party for those guys.

A light tugging at his pant leg made him look down to see Sora, the Sky Fox's jaws clamped around his clothing. He bent down and pet the blue animal, "What's up, Sora? Something wrong?"

Sora let go of his leg and trotted to one of the back rooms, looking back at Austin as if to say he wanted the boy to follow him.

"Alright, what's going on?" the cabin-boy sighed, "I'm not doing anything bad to Pingu, and don't think I haven't seen the look you give him, Sora, it's just like what Big Brother does to Macleod!"

The Sky Fox scratched at the door as Austin came closer, so the cabin boy pushed hard on the door. No surprise that it wasn't locked, so he just walked inside. When he got inside, he saw a very large, comfortable bed, an old desk and countless sheets of paper. The bed was larger than the others he had seen in the building, and he could guess who slept in it.

"Guess this is Nicholas' bedroom," he murmured, looking around, "Sora, why'd you bring me here?"

A soft honking sound made him turn to see Pingu waddling through a pile of papers, holding a rolled up document of some kind in his flippers.

He groaned, "Guys, it's one thing to go through our nakama's stuff on the ship, it's totally different when you go through the stuff of a guy who saved us from freezing out there!"

_"Just wait until he sees this!"_ Pingu hopped out of the pile of papers and tossed him the document, _"This will blow his mind!"_

_"At least you're not going on that Nicholas is Santa Claus," _Sora rolled his eyes.

Pingu glared at him, _"He is!"_

_"Whatever,"_

While the two animals bickered once again, Austin unfurled the paper Pingu gave him and scanned it. What he thought to be a document was really a bounty poster, much like his own, but it was considerably older. Despite this fact, however, he recognized Nicholas easily right before he saw the bounty on his head.

**WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE  
Pirate Saint Nicholas  
Reward: 55,000,000 Beli  
**

_Holy crap, he's a pirate! Austin's eyes widened, Not only that, he's a pirate...saint? Reminds me of that guy Azu told us about that day he painted Herman green! _**(2)** he tilted his head, _If he's called a Saint, why would they want him dead?_

"Hey, Blood Fist, where are you?" Scotty yelled from outside.

_Shit, he can't see this! No telling what he'd do if he found out about the old guy!_ Austin quickly tucked the poster away into one of his pockets before picking up the animals and heading outside.

"Sorry, these two got lost, went looking for 'em, but I got 'em! How goes it?"

* * *

The planning and setting up took all day, all night and even most of the day on Christmas Eve. As the sun began to set, Scotty took it upon himself to stand watch upstairs with the telescope while Austin overlooked the final touches and prepared for the fight ahead. Taking one of the coats from the closet, Austin felt warmer outside than he had since he arrived. Silently, he pulled his Dial Gloves over his bare hands, not only keeping them warm but arming himself.

"Blood Fist!" Scotty's voice from above made him look up to the second floor, "Austin!"

"What is it, Scotty?! You see anything?"

"Yeah! They're coming!"

"How long until they get here?"

"Five minutes at least!"

Austin nodded and turned to the other children, who were making their way into the basement through the trapdoor, "Go on, get in! You get in, you stay quiet and you stay there until Scotty or myself says it's all clear, alright?"

As soon as they were all inside, Austin and Pingu shut the trapdoor and covered it with the carpet.

_"If you wanna keep something precious safe, hide it in plain view,"_ Pingu honked, dusting his flippers off, _"Swear, this kid's a decent thinker. Too bad our captain isn't like him,"_

"It's one thing for pirates to mess with kids...," Austin pulled his gloves on snugly, making sure they stayed on before reaching for his special Hover-Board, "But no one...I mean no one messes with kids on Christmas!"

_"Right on, kid, let's go kick their ass!"_

* * *

**Kilnorc: Alright, it looks like the Christmas Eve battle is about to begin! What traps have been laid and what comedy is in store for you readers? Stay tuned to find out!**

**(1) A reference/quote to one of my all-time favorite movies, The Goonies! -hums Goonies "R" Good Enough- Yeah, I'm a nerd, xD but who isn't? Rock on, everybody!**

**(2) A reference to my Saint Patrick's Day fanfic, Luck of the Drunk.  
**


	7. Booby Traps

**Booby Traps  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**Azu: Hehehe...BOOBY traps...heheh...booby...**

**Kilnorc: oh for the love of...-drags Azu away- Sorry you had to see that folks...  
**

* * *

"So, this is the fatman's place, huh?"

"Looks like it, Cap'n Billy Bob, sure looks like it," Billy rubbed his arms, "You think Santa's gonna be mad at us for hurting him like that?"

Billy Bob's eye twitched, "For the last time. He. Was. Not. Santa Claus!"

"But-," Billy and Bob started, but were cut off when Billy Bob pulled a surprisingly small pistol out of his coat and aimed it at them.

"Now, I may not be able to kill you with this thing, but I can shoot at crotch level, so don't piss me off! Understand?!"

Billy and Bob covered their groins and nodded quickly, "Got it boss,"

"Good, now let's go in and take what is ours!"

* * *

"Idiots coming to the front door, Austin!" Scotty called softly from the upper level, "You hear me?"

Austin gave a thumbs up and positioned himself a safe distance from the door should the trap fail, Come and get it, you assholes...

* * *

"Should we knock?"

"Oh yeah, what're we gonna say if they ask us who we are? 'Oh, hello there kiddies, we're bad, _bad_ men come to take the money your fat guardian has, can we come in?'...honestly!"

"...seriously?"

"Yeah, Boss, I thought we were gonna just bust in and demand the money?"

Billy Bob slapped himself in the face, "Morons...just knock on the door, Billy,"

"Okay, Boss," the thin pirate walked up to the door and knocked loudly on the door, "Knock knock, kiddies! Anybody home?"

"Who is it?" a boy's voice called from the other side of the door, "Nicholas, is that you?"

"Must mean the fat man," Billy Bob murmured before clearing his throat, "Ah, no it's not Nicholas, sonny, we were sent by him to see if you were okay. Can we come in?"

A few moments passed, "Just a second!"

Billy Bob grinned, _This is easier than I thought..._

Another few moments passed and a noise was heard. They expected the door to open, but instead of the whole door, a panel in the lower half of the door opened up and almost immediately a large red glove came shooting out of the door and nailed Billy very hard in the groin, then it retreated back into the door. The thin pirate let out a loud gasp and fell to his knees, his eyes crossed and his mouth open, a silent scream of pain passing his lips.

Bob and Billy Bob winced.

The taller, dumber pirate tapped Billy on the shoulder, "You okay dude?"

Billy slowly shook his head and a rather high "No" was heard just before the glove from before popped out of the door again and this time, punching Billy in the face...hard. The lanky pirate, who was already in extreme pain due to the shot to his groin, fell backward onto the snow-covered ground, blood already trickling down his face from the punch.

Bob gawked as he knelt down to check his nakama. Billy Bob, however, turned his head to the door, a wicked grin on his face.

"That wasn't very nice to play that kind of trick on friends, sonny,"

"Wasn't a trick and you're not our friends! We know what happened to Nicholas!"

"Oh really? How?"

"Saw the whole thing!"

_Impossible...they couldn't have, it's too far away!_ Billy Bob growled, "I'm willing to forget the attack on my subordinate if you just open the door, let us in, and hand over all your valuables!"

Another boy's voice, this one sounding a little older was heard this time.

"No chance in hell! You want in, you'll have to find your own way, because we ain't letting you in, Shrimp!"

Billy Bob froze, _S...Sh...SHRIMP!?_

_They called the Captain a shrimp?_ Bob stared at the door, shocked at what he had just heard, _Oh boy..._

* * *

Austin pressed his ear against the front door, trying to listen to the three pirates outside. He could tell that they were the only ones around, thanks to his Mantra, yet he couldn't help but wonder if there were any others nearby, hidden from his Mantra somehow.

_Okay, we nailed one pretty good with the booby trap at the front_, Austin eyed a crudely modified Jack-in-the-Box toy he and the other kids found laying around the house, _Let's just hope the other traps work just as well against them._

* * *

"Billy,"

"Yeah, Bob?"

"Think we're gonna get into trouble?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know we're following orders and stuff from the captain, but is what we're doing gonna get us on the Naughty side of Santa's list?"

Billy thought for a moment, then shook his head, "Naw, I'm sure we're gonna get on his Nice side,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, we're doing what we're told and that usually gets us on the Nice list,"

"Then how come we haven't gotten any gifts in _years_?"

"..."

"..."

"...I don't know," Billy waved him off quickly, "But I'm sure if we just do what we're told, we'll get something this year, we have to! Now, c'mon and help me find a backdoor to this place,"

"You mean like that?" Bob asked him, pointing to a large door that was just a few feet away from them.

"...how the hell did we miss that?" Billy sniffed to keep blood from leaking out some more from his nose and winced in pain, "I think my nose is broken,"

Bob patted him on the back and walked over to the back door, "It's okay, man, lemme handle this one,"

"Be careful, Bob,"

"No kidding," Bob sighed and gently grabbed the doorknob, jiggling it a little bit, "Looks safe to me...,"

Billy stepped back a safe distance...just in case.

To Billy's surprise, and Bob's relief, the door swung open without so much as a little problem happening. Bob grinned, "I'm da man!" he declared, stepping into the building, unaware that he was just activating a trip-wire trap. As he passed through the doorway, his legs pulled at the wire that Austin and the others had set up just above the floor, therefore activating another little set up right above the door. One of Austin's Flame Dials, which was positioned practically right over Bob's head let out a short puff of fire that quickly became an addition to said pirate's head.

At first, Bob didn't notice a damn thing...then the smell came.

Bob sniffed the air, a confused look crossing his face as he wandered around the room, "What's burning?"

Billy, who had just come through the door, quickly caught sight of his friend's predicament.

"BOB! YOU'RE ON FIRE!!!"

The tall pirate turned and planted his hands on his hips, a smug look on his face, "Why, thank you, I must admit I am on a roll here. I mean, I'm not the one who got nut-punched,"

"No, Bob, you're really on fire!"

"Stop the flattery and help me find what's burning," Bob waved his hand in front of his face, "Whatever it is, it smells like burnt bacon,"

"That's you!"

"No, I don't smell like burnt bacon, Billy! If anything, I'm da man for getting this far!"

"Oh you're da man alright...you're da man whose head is on fire!"

* * *

A loud scream ripped through the building, but neither one of the defenders were startled by it. In fact, they were expecting it.

"Two idiots on one side and the other idiot on the other side...," Austin rubbed his chin, following his enemie's movements with Mantra, "Pingu, go gree that one. Sora, go greet the other two idiots,"

The two animals gave their versions of a salute and went off in seperate directions as Scotty joined Austin in the middle of the room.

"Dumbass pirates, they walked right into two of the traps!"

"Yeah, but be prepared in case they make it through the others. Not all pirates are stupid,"

"Maybe, but they're all evil...," Scotty glanced at him, "Okay, maybe there are a few exceptions,"

Austin sighed and reached into his pockets, grabbing Nicholas' poster, "You have _no_ idea,"

* * *

Billy Bob trudged through the snow, muttering under his breath as he tried to find a way into the building.

"So, traps, huh? Alright, I can handle traps. I have the perfect stature for trap-dodging! Now, those two idiots are gonna have to go through the gauntlet just to get there, screaming in pain and holding themselves while I get by unscathed. HA! I'm a genius...,"

A loud crunching sound was heard behind him and when he turned around to face the oncoming attacker, all he saw was a box with a big bow and note on top of it.

"What the hell...?" Billy Bob waddled over and nudged the box cautiously.

Nothing.

"Hm, something's in there alright, I can tell right off," he lifted the box off the ground, grunting as he did, "Whoa...heavy...," he put it down and snatched the note away, "Must be a peace offering gift or something...hehehe, at least there's one brat in there who's smart enough to butter up to those who have the power. Now, let's see what we have here," he lifted the note to his face and scanned the message on the paper.

**Say Hello to My Little Friend**

Billy Bob lowered the note, a confused look on his face, "Well, what the hell does _that_ mean?"

As if on cue, the answer to that question was answered in the form of the boxes top flying into the air and Pingu following after it, honking wildly, flippers going back and forth like a storm of black and white feathers.

"WHAT THE HELL-!?"

* * *

"Sounds like Pingu got to the other one," Austin tapped the floor idly, "...Sora should be doing something to the other two right about...now!"

Again, as if on cue, two terrified screams ripped through the air.

"Told ya," he turned to look at Scotty, but he saw that the older boy was still staring at Nicholas' poster, "You okay, man?"

Scotty looked up from the poster, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Okay, maybe not...," he murmured, _It's not everyday the guy you live with and fight with is a pirate..._

"I...I just can't believe it," Scotty slowly shook his head, "Nicholas is...is...,"

"Nicholas is the man that takes care of you guys and makes sure you're all okay," Austin cut him off, "Just because he was a pirate, that doesn't mean he's a bad man. I belong to a group of pirates and we are violent, but only when we need to be...or when a certain fox-eared miko annoys the crap outta us....," he cleared his throat, "The point is that he's not a bloodthirsty cutthroat that you think all pirates are, Scotty, he's a kind old man who went out there and risked his life to protect you and the others,"

Scotty just became quiet and another ear-piercing scream came from inside the building. This kind in particular Austin remembered hearing from the crew when someone did bodily harm to the other male crewmates' private area.

"Oooh...wonder if that was the marbles we set up?"

* * *

Bob, who now had a charred, bald head winced and held his groin as he looked on at his nakama. Billy had taken the lead and crossed into another room after an encounter with a crazy blue fox, and he had not only slipped on a large group of marbles that were laid on the floor, but as he slipped, it forced him to do the splits like a gymnast. Billy was now trying to get back onto his feet as carefully as he could without doing anymore harm to himself.

"You okay, Billy?"

His nakama quickly waved him off, "Just fine, Bob!" he squeaked, "Just fine and dandy!"

Bob sighed in relief, "Good, because I thought you'd be in a lot of pain right now,"

Billy slowly turned his head and glared daggers at him, "Just shut up and help me!"

* * *

Pingu grinned wickedly at his handiwork, _Gotta love the holidays...time for gifts, peace on earth, goodwill toward men...and not to mention dishing out holiday punishment to those who try to ruin it for everyone else!_ he looked down at his "victim" who was covered from head to toe in a thick, viscous gel-like substance. The children had found a large amount of glue in storage and put it to good use in the traps they were setting up earlier that day. Billy Bob was unlucky enough to be forced into said trap.

Now, for the finishing touches... Pingu waddled over to a nearly invisible string and pulled on it hard. As soon as he did, feathers from spare pillows and blankets that were stored near the ceiling came fluttering down onto Billy, covering him from head to toe in bird feathers thanks to the glue. The pirate wasn't unconscious, so Pingu was able to listen to every single curse word, death threat and any other thing the small pirate could think of while he was turned into a human chicken.

Pingu dusted his flippers, proud of himself and how well these kids' traps were paying off.

_Just need eleven herbs and spices, and we're set!_

* * *

**Kilnorc: Awright, one of the last chapters done! I think the -thinks- next TWO chapters are the final ones. I'm gonna try my hardest to get them done in time, so it may seemed rushed, lol. I just want people to enjoy it and to get it down before Christmas is over and I fear I didn't give myself enough time to fulfill my true vision. Oh well, as long as I give people something good to read for the holidays, I'm okay with it -grabs tape recorder- Note to self: If you want a Christmas fic, either stick with one-shots or start _right_ after Thanksgiving...**

**Before I go, I would like to say that the glue and marble thing was the idea of Wolfen-ways. However, the feathers were all my idea, as best to my memory, inspired by the classic film, Home Alone, lol. Thanks for the ideas, Wolfen!**


	8. Home

**Home**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece!**

**Kilnorc: Hope ya'll had a good Christmas, I know I did! Gonna try and finish this before New Year's since I wasn't able to for Christmas itself. Oh well, better than waiting a whole year for a holiday fic, right? Hehehe...ahem, okay. Back to the fic.**

* * *

"What the hell happened to you two?!"

"What happened to you, Boss?"

"Yeah, why are you dressed like a chicken?"

Billy Bob blew random feathers from his mouth, "Why the hell is one of you covered from head to toe in paint and the other one walking around in burnt clothes!?"

Billy, who was covered in various paint from an avalanche of the colors wiped his face, smearing more of it, "The frickin' kids rigged the entire place, Boss!"

Bob, whose clothes now matched his burnt scalp, cracked his neck loudly, "Even the bathrooms...try putting a flaming head out in a toilet filled with something flammable!"

"That must've been the blast I heard earlier," Billy Bob murmured, "Figured it'd be a trap, but I didn't think it'd be one like that. These kids are smarter than I anticipated," he rubbed his chin, "Maybe we shouldn't kill these kids. You know, it is Christmas Eve, maybe we should do something generous and 'invite' them to our crew?"

"Like hell, pirate!"

"Yeah, asshole, as if we would! I already belong to one!"

The three invading pirates turned and looked up to see both Austin and Scotty on the top level, looking down on them, both of them looking smug at their progress.

Billy Bob blew feathers out of his face again, "Alright, kids, funtime's over. How's about you two come down here, show us where the fatman's loot is, and we might just let you join our crew,"

Scotty hawked a loogie that landed smack dab in the middle of Billy Bob's feather-covered forehead, "Again, I say like hell, shortstuff!"

"Yeah, I'm with him," Austin fiddled with his gloves as the angry chicken-like pirate wiped away the loogie, "Besides, like I said, I'm already part of a pirate crew,"

"Oh yeah? What crew is that, punk?"

Austin shot him a knowing look and grinned, "Ever hear of the Axe-Head Pirates?"

Both Billy and Bob let out a gasp and backed away, "SAY WHAT?!"

Billy Bob scoffed, "Please, like some runt like you could be a part of that famous crew? I'm surprised you didn't say you were part of the Straw Hat Pirates,"

"Oh, I'm not part of that crew, but I know them well," Austin said casually, shrugging a little, "I may be young, but I know my way around a fight, shorty. Normally, I'd go down there, kneel down and look you straight in the eye, curse you out before I kicked your ass, but since it's Christmas Eve, and since I've learned there are different ways of dealing with creeps like you, I'm willing to let you walk out of here and get back to your ship while you three are still in one piece,"

Bob chuckled, "He said one piece...like Rogers treasure! That's funny!"

Billy couldn't help but grin after a few moments, "Yeah, man, you're right! That _is_ funny,"

Billy Bob rolled his eyes, "Don't make me come up there and kill you both!"

"Kill us both?" Austin leapt over the railing and landed on his feet directly in front of the midget, hardly wincing at all at the impact he made, "Dude, you couldn't kill a penguin and your goons over there couldn't even lay a finger on a fox. You really think you have a chance at hurting one of us?"

"Just watch me!" Billy Bob reached for his pistol, which was also covered in glue and feathers, but before he could grab it, Austin held up one of his Dial gloves right in front of his face.

"Don't. Even. Try. Shorty,"

"Ooooh, what're you gonna do, bitchslap me with-?"

"_IMPACT!_"

The next thing everyone saw, Billy Bob was thrown back by an invisible force and sent flying through one of the nearby windows and into the cold night beyond.

Bob and Billy stared in horror at what they had just witnessed, both of their jaws laying on the floor and their eyes wide as plates.

Austin lowered his hand, "Merry Christmas, asshole...,"

* * *

Later that night, Nicholas returned after recovering and 'persuading' the rest of the B Pirates to behave and follow his orders. When he returned, all of the children ran and tackled him into a mighty hug...all except for Scotty. When he was able to stand, Nicholas wandered over to him.

"Aren't you happy to see me, Scotty?" he asked softly.

"It's not that...I'm...we're all happy to see you, Nicholas, it's just...just that...,"

"Just what, lad?"

Scotty went quiet and held up the bounty poster Austin gave to him, "...you're a pirate...,"

Nicholas looked at the poster, sighed and took a knee, planting a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I _was_ a pirate, Scotty. I was, as in I'm not anymore. I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you or any of the other kids because you would've run and without help, you wouldn't survive out there. I lied to protect you all and to keep you safe,"

_Sounds like a certain rock baka I know..._ Austin thought, mind drifting to his nakama and his heart becoming heavy, _Wonder how they're all doing right now?_

"As a pirate, I stole gold and treasure, but I never...ever...took a life. Not even one of my enemy. I did steal from people, yes, but only those who were greedy and had more than enough to spare. I gave what I could to those less fortunate and to the children, I bought them toys with some of the money,"

"So what, you're a pirate version of Santa Claus?"

Nicholas chuckled, "I _do_ seem to resemble him, don't I?"

Scotty smiled and threw himself at Nicholas, his arms wrapping around the old man tightly.

The fat old man patted him on the back and noticed Austin nearby, especially the look on his face.

"As for you, my young, courageous friend...I have a gift for you,"

* * *

_"Why don't you stay, Austin?"_

_"Yeah, stay with us, Austin!"_

_"You can stay and play with us!"_

_"You can protect us!"_

_They wanted me to stay so badly...why? I'm a pirate and most of them have issues with pirates, so why did they ask me to stay? Sure, I protected them and their home when Nicholas wasn't able to, but still..._ Austin sighed and looked at the large, anchored galleon in the distance as Nicholas guided the ship that formerly belonged to the B Pirates towards the galleon (with help from the newly reformed B Pirates). He didn't know what the chances were of it before, but it turned out the B Pirates had seen the ship in nearby waters recently and knew where to go when they found out the small boy was a part of that particular pirate crew.

When it came close enough, Nicholas, Bob and Billy threw a large rope over to the other ship, latching on it before sliding a large plank board across for safe passage. Nicholas turned to Austin and gave him one final hug before putting him on the board, Pingu and Sora following shortly after.

"I don't know how you managed to come across our island, my young friend, but I thank you for that with all of my heart. If it wasn't for you, Scotty and the others would've been in big trouble. Not only that, but they would've gotten our treasure, too,"

Austin frowned, "You guys have treasure? I thought you were-?"

"There's more than one form of treasure besides gold and jewels," Nicholas cut him off, "Treasure is many things: family, friends, love...whatever you make of it. Speaking of family, I do believe that yours is worried sick for you, so why don't you go on home, eh?"

"Thanks, Nicholas, I really appreciate it," Austin looked down at Pingu and Sora, "We all do,"

Nicholas smiled behind his beard, "No problem at all, lad. Merry Christmas,"

"Merry Christmas to you too, Nicholas,"

* * *

_So yeah, that's the story of our holiday adventure. I connected with those kids because we're all apart of the same group: orphans. Orphans who've lost their family to trouble in this world. I feel sorry for them, but then again, I shouldn't. They don't have their blood relatives, but they do have family. They have family in each other, and in Nicholas, just like I have family in my big brother, and our nakama...even if some of them ARE pretty damn annoying! Well...let's see what happens next, hm?_

The galley door opened and the entire group of remaining Axe-Heads, who were having a late, quiet dinner, all looked up to see Austin, Pingu and Sora standing in the doorway. Not even a second passed when they shot up from their seats at the table and rushed at their missing nakama. The three of them were all hugged by their nakama, some of them hugged them more tightly (for example, Kirsty and Devon hugging Austin and Niri hugging both Sora and Pingu).

"Where the hell have you three been?! You gotta tell us everything that happened to you!" Devon demanded, a large grin plastered on his face, "Are you okay? You guys feeling good, you're not hurt or anything?!"

Pingu, Sora and Austin couldn't help but share identical smiles.

* * *

**December 25th, Christmas Day**

"...and then, out of nowhere, the three of them just show up in the middle of the night! It was like a frickin' Christmas miracle!"

Rayo and Shidyk raised eyebrows as Dusty finished her story of the past few days.

"It's the honest to God truth! You gotta believe me!"

Rayo and Shidyk shared glances.

"I think I'm gonna go find Axe, see if he wants a meat-eating contest,"

"I'm gonna go find Kagura...,"

"Oh c'mon!"

The Christmas Party that the Axe-Heads were planning for the last few days had finally started. Rayo, Shidyk and their nakama showed up, as did Endo and his own crew, and even Straw Hat Luffy and his crew showed up for the party. Arisa even showed up and kissed Azu underneath the mistletoe (for traditional purposes she insisted before stomping off, her face red as a Santa hat). When it came to presents, everyone got something great from their friends and they all had a great time with their newly received gifts.

When Austin was walking back to the galley, he noticed an envelope sticking out of the galley door. The enveloped had his, Pingu's and Sora's name on it. Signaling the animals over, Austin pulled the envelope out, ripped it open and began to read the note._**  
**_

_**Dear boys,  
**_

_**Merry Christmas! I want to thank you for helping out with the children last night. I want you to know that they're all doing just fine and are going to have a great Christmas, thanks to you and all the work you put in. You three have been very good this year, though I would like to see less rivalry between Sora and Pingu over spots on Niri's bed and less pranks played on Dusty, Austin. Other than that, I'm afraid I don't know what to get you all this year, so I hope that the feeling of happiness you received with the news of the boys and girls is good enough.**_

_**Your friend,**_

_**Santa Claus."**_

Austin smiled as he finished reading the letter quietly and handed the note to Pingu before walking off, _Nicholas...play the fat man, hm? Nice touch._

_"You do know that Nicholas just dropped by and stuck this in the door, right?"_ Sora asked, yawning a little, _"Told you he wasn't Santa Claus,"_

_"Oh yeah, wise-guy?" _Pingu jiggled the letter in front of the fox, _"Then how the hell did he know about our competition for our spots on Niri's bed and how did he know that Austin pulls pranks on Dusty? Neither one of us told him, so how could he know?"_

Sora became quiet.

_"Haha...told ya!"_

On another part of the boat, Axe was standing alone near the railing, looking out at the ocean in front of him. He sensed someone behind him, but he didn't turn around...he knew who it was.

"I'm surprised you're here. Come to try and kill us again, Kairi? Toby?"

The Moon Beast and the Blood Countess stood right behind Axe, both of them wrapped up in warm winter clothing.

"Neither of us will try, Axe, that's our gift to you," Kairi said quietly, her red bangs blowing in the winter wind, "Do you have one for us?"

"Of course, I do," Axe sipped his hot chocolate, "My gift to the both of you is that you're still around until I find out what to do with the both of you,"

Kairi smirked and shook her head, "You've become soft, Captain,"

"And you've become lost, First and Second Mate,"

The three of them stood there for a few moments.

"Merry Christmas, Axe,"

"Merry Christmas, you guys,"

With that, his former nakama were gone. Niri rounded the corner and walked up to Axe, having a plate of party food in her hands.

"What're you up to?" she asked, handing him the plate, "I heard voices?"

"Just talking to myself," Axe took the plate, "I've finally gone crazy, Niri-chan!"

"Finally gone crazy? Axe, you've been crazy from the day we met!"

Axe laughed a little and pulled Niri into a hug, "Merry Christmas, Niri Zolaro,"

"Merry Christmas, Samuel D. Axe,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: I know this doesn't exactly live up to my full potential, but I ran out of time and I wanted to get this done when I could. Sorry folks, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Woot, only a day late!**


End file.
